Heel construction for footwear



Juy 22 1922. 1,502,036

E. C. HEILHECKER HEEL C ONS'RUGTION FOR FOOTWEAR Filed Jan. 14. 1921 lll Patented July 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,502,036 PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE C. HEILHECKER, OF BRSTOL, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL INDIA .RUBBER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

HEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR FOOTWEAR.

Application led January 14, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE C. HEIL- Hnoiinn, a citizen of the United States, residin at Bristol, in the county of Bristol and tate of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heel Constructions for Footwear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descri tion. Y

's invention relates to a heel construction for footwear, and more particularly to a construction in which a heel of vulcanizable material is attached by vulcanization to the body of a shoe or other article of footwear.

In'the footwear art heels of vulcanizable material which are attached by vulcanizetion to the footwear article are subjected to considerable hard usage, tending to loosen them from the body of the article, and to avoid this diiliculty it has been common to provide the heel with an upstanding flange around its sides and rear for attachment to the lower part of the heel portion of the shoe or other article. Prior to my invention this.` upstanding flange was tapered to a 'feather edge,`which construction is defecf' tive in several particulars and presents some manufactu Vheel 4there is culty in completely overhan the lling the mold at the feather edge portion of the flange, and this edge is frequently torn either in removing the heel from the mold or whileassembling the heel on a shoe. In addition the heel is semi-cured durin the difficulties. In moldin molding operation, and during the fina vulcanizatlon after it is attached to the shoe the feather edge portion of the flange sometimes beoomes overcured, and tends to crack and pull away from the shoe body during use. These heels also are ordinarily made with a divergng taper from their bottom portion to the top, and hence the upstanding ange after attachment to the shoe does not have a direct bearing on the heel body but the edge of the latter. Therefore in use, w en the weight of the wearer is put upon the shoe, the upstanding flan tends to buckle outwardly and pull` away om the shoe body. An example of this overhanging flan construction 1s shown in patent to Whitney, No. 299,890 June 3, 1884.

Prior to my invention the shoe sole has ordinarily been either extended all the way back over the heel, which causes a waste of Serial No. 437,159.

rubber stock, or its rear ed e has been inserted in a recess formed at t e breast of the heel, which recess has beenimade of a unil'oi'm depth, which does not provide a strong bond between the sole and heel.

An object of my invention is to provide a neat, strongly secured heel construction for vulcanizable footwear.

Another object is to provide an improved and stren thened connection between the vulcanizab e heel and sole members of a footwear article.

Still another object is to rovide a heel of vulcanizable material whic is simple and economical of manufacture and which affords a maximum of attachin surface while at the saine time being -sturty in construction and not liable to injury during manulecture or attachment.

For a detailed disclosure of the invention reference is had to the accompanying specifi` cation and drawings in which latter:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the rear portion of a shoe embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the heel portion of a shoe with the various parts thereof broken apart; and l Iig. 3 is a perspective of my improved ice The numeral 1 represents the upper of a shoe, which in the present instance is formed of canvas. Within the heel portion of the shoe is a composite counter formed of a piece of rag stock 2 and fabric 3. A weer piece 4 of canvas or other suitable material is dis osed on the inside of the shoe, below which) is the insole 5 of fibre or other suitable material. Below the insole is a composite shank stilener 6 formed by a piece `of fibre 7 and a strip of frictioned duck 8.

The space within the inturned edge of the upper is Filled by a rag sole 9, a binder strip 10 offriction stock being laid over the joint. Below the Filler sole 9 is a reinforcement 11 of friction stock and around the inturned edge of the upper a foxing s'trip 12 is applied. An outsole-13 is rolled on and secured at its edge to the foxng 12 in the usual manner, said outsole terminating a short distance within the breast of the heel 14. The heel is provided around its sides'and rear with an upstanding tapered flange 15, which flan e is abruptly truncated just short of a feat er ed e, as shown Yat 16. Adjacent the breast of t e heel its upper surface is pro- |10 vided with a recess 17 for the recept-ion of the rear end of the sole, this recess being rearwardly inclined, as shown in Fig. 2. To aid in the attachment of the heel its upper surface is knurled or otherwise roughened, as shown at 18, and nail holes 19 of the lusual form and arrangement are provided for the reception of nails 20 which are shown as driven u through the heel in Fig. 3 to disclose their position. In the making of rubber footwear having canvas uppers and rubber heels which extend up over the heel portion of the upper the use of a foxing strip is desirable for the following reasons:-The heels as before pointed out are semi-cured during the molding operation, and it is difficult toV secure a satisfactory union between such h'eels and the canvas of the upper, as the heel is no longer plastic and it therefore cannot be rolled into the interstices of the fabric. By the use of a foxing strip, however, which latter is of course made of unvulcanized 'materiah the foxing after cementing can be thoroughly rolled into the fabric and is more securely united thereto during vulcanization than the semi-cured heel would be `in the final cure. At the same time the semi-cured heel can be much more firmly secured to the rubber of the foxing during the curing operaA tion than it could be to the canvas upper.

It will be seen that by my invention a sturdy heel construction is rovided which can be securely attached to t e shoe or other article, the tapering u wardly extending flange 15 givingl a greatly increased attaching surface, whi e by terminating said flange short of a feather ed e it can be readily molded, will not tear during removal from the mold or assembling of a shoe, and is not liable to overcure. The knul-ling or roughening 18 aids materially in securm the heel to the shoe by ceinentation, and t e recess 17, with its inclined and roughened bottom, firmly rips the rear end of the sole, which cannot e detached from the heel by ordinary usage. -It will be noted that. the outer wall of the extending flange 15 forms a vertical continuation of the outer wall of the heel, hence, when the weight of the wearer is put upon the heel during usage there is no tendency of the flange 15 to buckle. outwardly. Also by the slight reduction in the height of the flange 15 its truncated edge 16 forms in effect a continuation of. the upper edge line of the outsole, as shown-in Fig. l. thereby adding to the neatness of the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of footwear comprising an up er, a soleand a heel of vulcanized matcrla united to said upper by a thin layer of vulcanized rubber, sa1d heel having a subi stlntially vertical upstanding flange curved on its inner side to conform to the heel portion of the upper, said flange terminating in a thin truncated ed e.

2. An article of Footwear comprising an upper, a sole, and a heel of vulcanized ma terial connected to said upper and sole by vulcanization, said heel having a tapering truncated edge connecting flange extending above its upper surface, the outer wall of said flange forming a vertical continuation of the edge of the heel.

3. An article of footwear comprising an upper, and a sole, a foxing and a heel of vulcanized material united to said upper by 'vulcanizatiom said heel having a tapering truncated edge flan e extending above its upper surface aroun its sides and rear and connected to said foxing, said heel also having an inclined bottom sole receiving rece at its breast.

4. An article of footwear comprisin an upper, a foxing of vulcanized materia extendin around the same, an outsole of vulcanize material joined at its ed to said foxing, and a heel of vulcanize material overlappin at its breast the rear end of the outsole an having a truncated ed e extension of its outer wall joined to sai foxing, said truncated edge forming a continuation of the upper line of the outsole edge.

5. Anarticle of footwear comprising an upper, insole and filler sole, a foxing of vulcanized material extending entirely around the lower portion of the upper, a heel of vulcanized material having its side and rear walls extended upwardly above its body, said extended walls being joined to the foxing and terminating in a relatively thin truncated ed e below the top of the foxing and an outso e of vulcanized material joined at its edge to said foxing, the rear portion of said outsole being extended within the breast of the heel with the upper line of its :extending entirely around the lower ortion of the upper, an outsole of vuleanize material joined at its edge to said foxng, arid a heel of vulcanized material havin a dished upper surface interfittinrr with an joined to the heel porti of said upper, insole and filler sole, said upper surface adjace'nt the breast of the heel having an inclined-bottom recessed portion interftting with and joined to the rear end of the outsole, and an u standing flange on vthe sides and rear of t e heel joined to said fbxihg and havin a truncated upper edge disposed on said oxing in alignment with and forming a continuation of the upper line of the sole ed e.

7. A molded partly cured rubber heel or integral attachment to footwear by vulcanization, comprisin a heel body having s. dshed upper surface forming an integral upstanding tapering flan e around its rear and side edges, said an terminating abruptly just short of a. feat er edge, and a sole receiving depression extendin inwardly from the breast of the heel an inclined downwardly.

8. A partly cured rubber heel for attachment to footwear by nailin and vulcanization and comprising a heel ody having an upper surface adapted to contact with and be connected to the heel portion of a shoe bod the heel body having an upwardly exten mg tapered flange with a. truncated upper edge, the inner wall of said flange being curved for connection with the lower curved side and rear portions of the shoe counter, the outer wall of the flange forming a vertical continuation of the side and rear walls of the heel body, and the u per surface of the heel bod thereof having an inc ined-bottom recess fm' the rece tion of the rear end of an outsole.

Sign at Bristol, Rhode Island, this 10th day of January, 1921.

EUGENE C. HEILHECKER.

adjacent t e breast B0 

